You may want to consider watching for one that has a hydraulic thumb. No matter the brand, almost all will agree that they are very helpful and useful. It's sort of like having an FEL on your tractor; you wonder how or why you didn't have one before. I have 2 Tak minis, one is a TB175 and the other a TB145. The 175 is a bit big for around the house, but the 145, about 12,000 pounds, is really good. Once I finish clearing what I need from the woods on a 6 acre parcel I have about 2 miles from my home and dig a pond there as well as some larger chores on a couple hundred acre parcel I have, I'll sell the 175. Being too big to tow behind a pickup (almost 20k as it sits), it's not nearly as versatile.
You may want to watch IronPlanet for their auctions. They do an extremely good job checking out their "IronClad" certified machines they auction. They hire professionals to photograph, do used oil/hydraulic analysis tests and functionality tests on the machines who do better than most of us who have operated them for many years. Many of their inspectors are retired master mechanics and will give a brutally blunt description of the unit. I had one problem with an "IronClad" unit I bought from them and they gave me the option of immediately buying it back and picking it up or having it repaired. I opted to back out. They picked it up at my place in about a week, but my money was refunded immediately after they hired a local inspector to verify my issue.
Oh, I'd pass on the gray market machines and odd European machines you sometimes find here. I'm sure some are good bargains, but most people I've called and asked about their purchase express regret of their purchase. If you can find a good professional inspector who will check out a machine for a hundred bucks or so for you, it's probably money well spent. Most of the machines can be good machines, but all can be lemons. As you noted, some bring premium resale prices. Generally, there is a reason for that. The size machine you are looking for is a perfect size for what you want and is also a very common rental size. Use common sense and caution with rentals. You can get a bargain, but you can also get a money-pit nightmare. Again, good luck to you. I've spent more hours than I want to admit going through workshop manuals repairing various minis. If you have a specific question, feel free to PM me.
